SGA pushes to change alcohol policy

Last spring, SGA passed a resolution intended to change the consequences regarding alcohol consumption on Maryville College campus. It’s a change that has yet to be approved by Student Life Committee (SLC), a panel made up of faculty, staff and students. The current policy states that if a student is in a room with anyone under 21 years of age and they are seen or reported, all parties involved would be given a consumption violation.
According to current RA and student body president Spencer Blanden, “SGA is pushing to have the policy also include a non-consumption violation.”
Blanden said that a consumption violation is the charge a student would receive if found on campus in violation of any of the alcohol policies that are currently in place.
“If the hearing of the advisor sees you or determines that you were in fact drinking, you would receive a consumption violation,” Blanden said.
The penalty for receiving a consumption violation varies, ranging from judicial probation on campus to a $50.00 fine. If one has had probation in the past year he or she would not be permitted to leave in Beeson, Gibson or Court Street, according to Blanden. Students with alcohol violations can only reside in Lloyd, Carnegie or a freshman residence hall after they receive a violation.
“The issue really isn’t addressing the presence of alcohol. It is more of an attempt to separate consumption violations from non-consumption violations,” Blanden said. “What that means is that if you were not drinking and the authority at hand deemed it so, but you were indeed found to be in the presence of one resident that was drinking, you would receive a non-consumption violation.”
Blanden said that this violation carries a lesser fine, not as harsh a punishment and no judicial probation.
The new proposal means that there would be a lesser penalty for the suggested non-consumption violation. The rules allow and permit anyone over 21 to drink on campus, as long as students under 21 that are not in the room.
Should students be found in the presence of drinking and yet not drinking, those that are 21 years of age would receive a consumption violation, while those under age and not consuming alcohol would only receive a non-consumption violation.